Fulfillments
by Ertal77
Summary: A series of ficlets and one shots written for the Noiz week in tumblr and posted previously in ao3. Noiz and Aoba's relationship since their meeting in a slightly AU world: basically, all the Dmmd boys having fun together, without Toue or accursed powers, while gradually Noiz and Aoba get to know each other and fall in love.
1. The birthday party

As soon as the doorbell buzzed, someone familiar shouted "I'm opening!" Noiz flinched at hearing the voice. He had been aware, of course, of the fact that he wasn't going to be the only guest, but he still didn't know if he was going to be able to face all of Aoba's friends during the whole evening. He tried not to grunt when that guy in the red kimono opened the door. He felt rather stupid when the other guy didn't avoid it, though.

"Ouch!" the man at the door exclaimed before letting him in. "Aoba, how is it that you haven't invited any girl, but instead you have invited this nerdy brat?"

Noiz glared at him and walked inside the narrow hall, taking his boots out and leaving them beside the other guests' ones.

"He even invited an old geezer like you…" he commented. "So for once I must agree with you: Aoba has an odd taste for guests."

"Hey! To your information, kid, Aoba and I have been friends since our childhood!"

"I bet you were his babysitter when you were a teen and used to change his diapers…" Noiz huffed, amused.

"I am not _that much_ older than him!"

The host came into sight at last, sighing loudly.

"Could you two stop bickering? I just wanted to have all my friends at my birthday party, why is it asking too much?"

Noiz looked Aoba over with a tiny smile, and he decided he liked very much the sight. Aoba hadn't primed himself up or anything, and he was wearing a long sleeved t-shirt and tight jeans as usual, but Noiz was always happy to see the young man, and he found the way his jeans showed off his ass highly appealing.

"Happy birthday, I guess" he greeted Aoba, offering him his present.

"Ah, that's a videogame!"

That was that gasmask-wearing weirdo and his overexcited remarks, peering from the kitchen door. _Aoba surely has an interesting choice of friends_ , Noiz thought with amusement.

"I don't know if I should open it or not…" Aoba hesitated, with the little package in his hand. "I still haven't opened the others."

"Wait!" Koujaku shouted, running upstairs. "If you are opening your presents, then you must open mine first!"

"Please open it, Master, I want to know what videogame is it!" the gasmask guy pleaded.

Aoba still looked unsure. He glanced at Noiz, as if asking for help, but the boy just shrugged.

"It's yours now, open it or not, I just don't mind."

The birthday boy frowned, obviously upset.

"That's not very helpful, Noiz. Okay, come to the kitchen and I'll open all the presents."

Noiz followed him to the airy kitchen. That giant dark-skinned guy was already sitting there, puffing at an unlit pipe with an absent look. The gasmask boy, Clear, took Noiz hand and pulled him to the table, proceeding to explain him the ingredients of each one of the delicacies that filled the table to the brim. Someone had spent a good amount of hours cooking, that was obvious. Noiz betted for Aoba's granny, but listening the way Clear talked one would have thought it was him who had cooked all those dishes. Before Noiz could finally cut the incessant nagging of the weirdo, Aoba served him a glass of punch and smiled him sweetly, so he closed his mouth and sipped his drink without a complaint.

"What's this?" he asked after tasting the punch.

The mixture of liquors was burning his tongue, and he felt the need to take it out his mouth to get some fresh air into it. Two pair of eyes focused on it in a snap.

"Oooh, you have a tongue piercing!" Clear commented, with delight.

"Yeah… It's good for oral sex."

Noiz regretted his words almost instantly, seeing how Aoba looked away in embarrassment. _Talking about sex in a meeting could be considered a bit rude, isn't it?_ , he thought. But then he noticed the lovely blush that covered Aoba's cheeks and stopped regretting it so much. Although a mocking voice at the kitchen door made his smirk fall.

"That would be fantastic if you had a girlfriend, kid… As it is now, that's only a piece of metal junk inside your mouth."

Koujaku walked in with a wide winning grin and offered Aoba his birthday present. The boy took the small parcel and placed it on the table with the others, putting a pair of locks of blue hair away from his eyes.

"I'm usually well served in that aspect, grandpa", Noiz answered with the same mocking tone. "But I'm not looking for a girlfriend right now."

Koujaku followed his gaze towards Aoba and bit his lower lip.

"…I see", he mumbled.

Meanwhile, completely oblivious, the birthday boy studied the presents with his hands on his hips.

"I don't want to open them until Mizuki arrives… He is coming after work, so he should be arriving shortly…"

And at that very moment the doorbell buzzed again, and Clear clapped.

"That's him! Did you hear him coming, Master?"

Aoba chuckled and rushed to open the door.

"I swear I didn't! Well, everybody is here at last! Hello, Mizuki!"

"Happy birthday, mate!" the newcomer greeted. "Sorry, I bet I'm the last one to arrive."

"Don't worry, we were enjoying your punch!" Aoba said with a wide smile. "But Koujaku and Clear wanted me to open the birthday presents, so you arrive just in time!"

"Ah, fine, here is mine, too". And he gave Aoba a small and flat package. "Open it the first one, please!"

"No way", Koujaku shouted. "Aoba will open mine first! It's my right as his oldest friend!"

"Ah, man, now it's you who say it!" Noiz muttered, earning a glare from Koujaku.

Mizuki laughed at them and sat down with a cup of punch on his hand, waving Koujaku to go on and offer his gift first. He grimaced when he tasted the slipslop.

"Oh, wow, I see the outcome has been… interesting."

He sipped his cup again and shrugged. The others chuckled and Aoba refilled his cup at once.

"It's your doing, so I really hope you enjoy it!" he laughed.

In fact, Noiz thought the beverage wasn't that bad… once you got used to the odd taste and your burning throat, of course. Aoba started opening his presents: first Koujaku's, a red barrette, wooden and with very elaborated carvings, and some hairpins. Koujaku said the barrette was antique and handmade, and given that Aoba would never allow him to cut his hair, perhaps he would be allowed to hairstyle him, at least… Aoba looked uncertain, but Clear, Mizuki and Noiz liked the idea, and even the stern Mink nodded. So Aoba ended up sighing loudly and sitting down to let Koujaku work with his hair, while he opened the rest of his presents. Mizuki's was a CD with a selection of his favourite songs, mixed by Mizuki, who apart from being a tattoo artist also had a penchant for DJing. Clear rushed to put the CD on the computer.

Next present was Clear's, a huge flat box. Before Aoba could finish unwrapping it and finding out what it was, Clear exclaimed in his usual bubbly tone:

"It's a puzzle! My grandpa loved puzzles, and we used to spend lots of nice evenings making them!"

Aoba examined the cardboard cover with interest: it showed a submarine landscape, with corals and bright colours.

"Wow, Clear, five thousand pieces? I will never finish it!"

"Ah, don't worry, Master, I will come and help you now and then."

Noiz thought the satisfied grin of the weirdo was so obvious that it almost could be heard in his voice. _I bet he thought of the bloody puzzle to have an excuse to visit every day_ , he thought. And, although it meant more competition, he couldn't help to like that strange guy.

Mink's gift was the next, a dreamcatcher and a set of leather bracelets. Aoba looked pleasantly surprised.

"Did you… did you made this?" he stuttered while caressing the soft and coloured leather.

The giant nodded, looking awkward for once. Aoba offered him his sweetest smile, and Noiz felt a bubble of jealousy inside his guts. Annoyed, he stood up, took his present from the table and placed it on Aoba's lap before he got too enthralled by Mink. Before he could open it, though, Koujaku announced he was done with Aoba's hairdo. Clear clapped like a kid in too much sugar.

"Oooh, Master, you look gorgeous!"

Aoba turned the same shade of red of his new barrette, but he smiled and rose from the chair to look at himself in the hall's small mirror. Noiz would never dare to call Aoba 'gorgeous' to his face, but he indeed looked cute with his hair up in a bun, and the barrette and hairclips added to the effect. Grinning, Aoba turned to look at his friends, and then he was suddenly taken aback.

"Koujaku… Are you OK?"

Noiz turned to look at the guy, who was redder than his kimono, and couldn't help to laugh in earnest at his embarrassed face. That earned him an annoyed glare from Koujaku, who ordered him to stop laughing through gritted teeth. Beside him, Noiz noticed a slight blush also on Mink's face, but at least the tough man hid it better.

Aoba's face was a display of mixed emotions when he opened his last present. In fact, it was exactly the effect Noiz was looking forward, so he was delighted and rushed to explain his gift.

"It's the latest version, they have released it for your Superconsole XD this month!"

Clear came closer and he almost perched himself on top of Aoba's shoulder so he could see better.

" _Five nights at Freddy's 4_ ", the gasmask guy read. "What is it about? It looks a bit scary."

"Brat", Koujaku scowled, "you know perfectly well that Aoba doesn't like horror videogames."

"Oh, doesn't he?" Noiz said with his most innocent face.

Aoba kept staring at the videogame case with an awkward expression.

"Ah, thank you all the same, Noiz". He coughed and muttered: "But I think indeed you knew."

"Well, I know you are sort of a chicken when it comes to scary films or videogames…" Noiz admitted, "but I thought we could play it this evening, all together… You won't be scared if all your friends are here to keep you company, will you?"

Aoba looked uncertain and not very happy with the suggestion.

"Oh, please, Master, let's play it!" Clear pleaded with a whiny voice. "I have never played a videogame before!"

Even the stoic Mink turned to stare at Clear at that statement.

"How come?" Mizuki laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. "Are you from Mars or something like that?"

"I simply never had the chance", Clear muttered, and even with the gasmask covering his face, he looked so miserable that everyone in the room pitied him.

"Oh, come on, let's play the damned game!" Mink asked.

"Yes, Aoba", Koujaku added, "you are in a room full of people, I bet we will have a laugh and you won't be afraid of this kind of videogames any more."

Aoba made up his mind and rose from his chair, smiling at Clear.

"Alright! Come on, Clear, do the honours and open the package!"

Clear did it at once, excited as a child with a new toy, while they made themselves comfortable on the couch or on the carpet, around the videogame console. Mizuki and Koujaku brought some of the food to the coffee table so the party moved to the living room. Aoba was sitting in the middle of the group, but he let Clear had the controls. The party boy squealed when the game started and the room's lights went off.

"Oi! What's that!"

"It's just for atmosphere, don't fret…" Noiz grinned. "I'm letting the kitchen's light on, alright?"

Aoba grunted, but the others seemed okay with the dim light, so he didn't complain any further.

"Ooooh, so we are the night watchman at a pizza shop?" Clear asked. "And those are puppets?"

"Not puppets, they are animatronics", Noiz explained. "Like in Disneyland, you know?"

"Never been to Disneyland, but I'll take your word", Clear answered.

Aoba's mouth was a tight line already. Noiz was the only one standing, and he rested his elbows on the back of the couch, close to Aoba's head.

"Relax, mate… Look, you must go to that room and check it out…"

"Ha! I have played the other parts!" Mizuki laughed. "Brace yourself, Aoba!"

"Nah, it won't come so soon!" Noiz said.

"What?" Aoba asked, already stressed. "What is coming?"

"Aoba, you must turn that switch on, quickly!" Mizuki said, ignoring him.

"Clear, you have the controls!" Aoba shouted.

"What switch?" Clear asked, confused. "Ah, that one…"

But he was too slow, and a jumpscare of Chica filled the screen, at the same time that the kitchen's light, their only source of light at the moment, apart from the screen, went out. Aoba screamed. The kitchen's light was turned on a second later, and after the initial shock, the rest of the guys laughed. Even Mink smirked a bit. Aoba was flushed and angered, and Noiz found his angry face the funniest thing he had ever watched. And also one of the cutest.

"Alright!" Aoba exclaimed. "Please someone explain me what has just happened!"

Mizuki signalled the screen, trying to stop grinning and failing.

"That was Chica, an animatronics chick. And she has killed you, sorry."

"I meant the lights, besides that!"

Noiz shrugged.

"The light might have flickered? You know these installations are old…"

"Bullshit! You turned it off!" Aoba threw him an accusatory look, gritting his teeth.

Noiz tried to look innocent. He knew he wasn't good at faking faces, though. A pity.

Luckily for him, Clear was already restarting the game, excited as always, and the other guys patted Aoba on his back and reassured him saying that stuff happened sometimes. So everybody focused again on the screen and the snacks. This time Clear turned the switch on in time, so they avoided Chica and, following Mizuki's and Noiz' advise, they were able to survive the whole first night. Aoba even seemed to be having fun by then, although commenting on how stressing the game was.

They started the second night and played some minigames. The atmosphere was dark either way, with a claustrophobic feel and the anticipation of more jumpscares to come at any given moment. Noiz watched Aoba with the corner of his eye, and he looked tense, his hands gripping his thighs. The moment Phantom Foxy attacked and the stroboscope image filled the screen, Aoba screamed his lungs out and the light of the kitchen went "mysteriously" out again. Noiz waited until a couple of interesting movement sounds and two squeaks from Aoba sounded to turn it on again. He also turned the lights of the sitting room on, in order to enjoy the show the better.

In the centre of the room, Aoba had stood up and was trembling with anger, his face and ears displaying a lovely shade of red. Koujaku and Mink showed different states of blushing as well, Clear's face was impossible to read, thanks to his mask, as always, and Mizuki was laughing so hard that soon big teardrops started to fall from his eyes. Noiz burst into laughter as well, and Mizuki and he high-fived. Aoba watched his faces, one by one, gritting his teeth in a threatening way.

"Youuuuu!" he growled. "Alright, guys, spit it out! Who was it?" Mizuki and Noiz kept on laughing, unable to stop, and the others said nothing. "One of you kissed me when the light went out, and there were also _hands_ on me, at least three hands! Who was it?!"

"Master, I am wearing my mask, and I swear my hands were too busy with the controls! Please don't think bad of me!"

Poor Clear sounded about to cry, and although he liked the weirdo, it made Noiz laugh louder. Aoba's gaze ran from Clear to Koujaku, who had his eyes downcast and remained silent, blushing in embarrassment. Next was Mink, who just grunted and avoided Aoba's eyes, and then muttered something about childish games and walked away towards the kitchen. Aoba stared at Mizuki, then.

"Ppppffff… As if I would do something like that!" the tattooist said, trying to sober up. "Sorry but not interested in you that way, mate". But as soon as Aoba moved his eyes to Noiz, Mizuki added: "Although I would certainly do it for a laugh! You should have seen your face, Aoba!"

And he burst into an uncontrollable laughter again. Aoba frowned at him.

"And I was sadly too far for that", Noiz added.

Aoba turned to look at him, annoyed.

"Wait, what do you mean, _too far_? Oi, brat! And it was you who turned the lights off, twice!"

"OK, OK…" Noiz raised his hands in defeat. "It was just a prank… and an interesting one, at it. Let's say you owe me a prank in the near future, alright?"

"You can bet I do!" Aoba growled, showing him his fist.

But before Aoba could get too carried away by his anger, Mizuki and Koujaku patted his back in a reassuring way, and Mizuki suggested they played a drinking game next. So in some minutes they were sitting around the kitchen table, eating snacks and playing all the stupid drinking games Mizuki had learned through the years.

And surprisingly enough, after the videogame prank, everybody behaved the rest of the evening, more or less. Aoba sensed an strategy to get him drunk coming, in order to make further fun of him, so he avoided drinking more than a couple of drinks, getting tipsy as much. Koujaku and Clear, though, got definitely plastered, and when it was starting to be a tad late, Aoba took a couple of mattresses and unrolled them on the sitting room floor for his forced guests. Mink left the first, and Mizuki started to tidy up the kitchen and sitting room a bit.

"Oh, leave it", Aoba said with a dismissing gesture of his hand, "Koujaku will do it tomorrow, it will be his punishment for before."

Mizuki and Noiz laughed at that, and Noiz announced he was leaving, too. Aoba accompanied him to the door while Mizuki went to retrieve his punch bowl to take it home.

"And as for you", Aoba said to Noiz, his voice slurring a bit because of the alcohol, "I will definitely think of a punishment."

"It was just a prank!" Noiz shrugged. "I would never steal a kiss in the dark, where's the fun if I can't watch your face afterwards?"

And at that very moment, without any warning, he leaned in and kissed Aoba's lips. It was short and superficial, but the shocked face Aoba made was worth it.

"See?" Noiz said, grinning. "Like that! Good night, Aoba, and happy birthday again!"

And he turned away and started walking, chuckling lightly, oblivious to the still very startled Aoba who was staring at him from the doorstep.


	2. Casual shopping

Noiz found himself in front of Aoba's bedroom door in what was starting to feel like a pleasant habit. During the last weeks, they had started to meet in other places than each other's shops, and although Noiz didn't use to hang out with other people, unless there was a reason for it, he was actually enjoying the time he spent with Aoba. While he knocked on the door, he pondered what the mutual gaining for that hanging out could be; he barely understood what he should get out of that, except that he liked to be around Aoba, and he didn't get at all why Aoba would want to spend his time with him. _Especially having already so many friends_ , Noiz thought with a flinch at hearing _yet again_ Koujaku's voice inside the bedroom. Aoba's granny had told him Koujaku was there, when she greeted him at the front door, but all the same that damned hairdresser, who was so obviously infatuated with Aoba, always put him in a sour mood.

"Hey", he greeted the room, in general.

There were only Aoba and Koujaku in there, sitting atop the cushions on the floor. The coffee table Aoba had usually in the centre of the room had been put aside, close to the wall, with a long wooden board on top, and the five thousand pieces puzzle Clear had given to Aoba for his birthday lay there, already a third of it done.

"Ah, hello, Noiz!" Aoba greeted back with a bright smile. "Let me go to the toilet and I'm ready to go."

Koujaku frowned at seeing him. _Nothing new here_ , Noiz thought.

"What is this brat doing here?" Koujaku asked, acting offended.

Noiz huffed in response.

"Hey, relax!" Aoba intervened. "He is going to buy clothes, and he asked me to go with him to give him advice."

Koujaku raised his eyebrows and looked Noiz over.

"Well, he certainly needs a change of style!"

"Says the guy who looks like someone out of a historical dorama", Noiz muttered.

Aoba chuckled lightly and left them alone. Noiz went to study the spare puzzle pieces, shuffling them casually. He still could feel Koujaku looming directly behind him. It was annoying, but he didn't feel like talking to the guy. After a long and uncomfortable silence, it was Koujaku who talked first.

"No, but seriously. What are you doing always around Aoba?"

Noiz found a suitable piece and placed it in its right place with a smirk.

"You are losing the competition, old geezer", he said.

Koujaku looked lost for a moment, and then frowned again in annoyance.

"Being with Aoba is not a competition, kid", he answered.

And he eyed the board, took a piece and placed it correctly with a satisfied grin directed towards Noiz. Right then Aoba came into the room and took his jacket.

"I'm ready! Let's go?"

Noiz nodded and let Aoba go out the door first. Then he came back to the board and turned to look at Koujaku.

"That's what you think".

He placed another piece of the puzzle and winked at the hairdresser, who just grunted and followed Aoba out of the room.

Ten minutes later Noiz and Aoba were already climbing the stairs to the mall's entry. Noiz had envisioned their little excursion as an excuse for going for a walk and perhaps eating something sweet, but soon it became obvious that Aoba was serious about getting an actual change of clothing for his younger friend.

"How do you feel about jeans?" Aoba asked when they reached the front door.

A loud cheesy music assaulted their ears as soon as they entered the building, but Aoba didn't seem to care. Noiz hesitated, and then looked at the pair of jeans Aoba was wearing. He nodded cautiously.

"I'm okay with them. But not so close fitting as yours."

"Let's try with some baggy jeans for you, then. Come on, follow me!"

Aoba looked really enthusiastic about this, Noiz realised with a sigh. Given that he didn't have any other option, he followed his blue haired friend, who was almost running towards a huge jeans store. Once inside, Noiz' brain collapsed at the sight of piles of jeans filling up the walls from the floor to the ceiling. There weren't many people inside, but all the same Noiz caught a little group of teenagers noticing him, elbowing each other and sniggering. He took his beanie off, annoyed, and flattened his hair. Oblivious, Aoba was already reaching for some jeans for Noiz to try on.

"Try these ones!" Aoba was all smiles, as always. It almost made Noiz want to smile back; in fact, if he didn't feel so awkward right then, he would decidedly smile at Aoba. It was the least he deserved for all the efforts he made regarding Noiz. Aoba tilted his head, watching his friend closely. "Oh? You have taken your beanie off? You look good without it, you know?"

"You don't like my beanie?"

"Well…" Aoba shrugged and chuckled, placing the hangers with the jeans on top of the arms Noiz had raised for him.

"So you find it ridiculous, too. I should have guessed".

Noiz' words were muttered so low that he didn't know if Aoba had heard them or not. He turned his back on his friend and walked into the fitting room, feeling annoyed. What did it matter to him, if Aoba found his look ridiculous or not? It was all the same to him, he didn't care at all. Aoba was too gentle to laugh at his face as those teens out in the store, anyway. He tried the first pair of baggy jeans and went out to face Aoba. The young man was looking at him with a concerned face, but after a second he composed himself and focused on the jeans.

"I think they suit you. Are you comfortable with them?"

Noiz looked at his reflection on the mirror. The jeans were loose fitting and fell low on his hips; he could choose between wearing a nice belt or showing off his underwear, perhaps both. But yes, they were comfortable, so he shrugged and nodded.

"Are you taking them?" Aoba asked him.

Noiz nodded again.

"Do you want to try more jeans on?"

Noiz shook his head. Aoba sighed, patient.

"OK, then change again into your clothes and let's pay."

Noiz looked at himself again on the mirror, at how those jeans fitted with his green, white and black shirt. Not bad. He widened his gaze and looked also at Aoba, and at how he looked by his side. This time a tiny smile graced his lips. His friend still looked a bit concerned, but at seeing his smile he grinned back. Unlike Noiz', Aoba's smiles always reached his eyes and lit them, and suddenly Noiz thought that he wanted to see Aoba smiling like that all the time: he should avoid at all cost making him look worried or too thoughtful again.

"I really think they suit you and your usual clothes, you know?" Aoba said, still smiling at him. "It even suits that beanie of yours. It gives you a very personal touch". Aoba was talking cautiously now, studying Noiz with the corner of his eye, and Noiz caught that he was trying to make it out for the previous dismiss of his beanie. He took it from the bench inside the fitting room and put it on again on his head, facing Aoba.

"Not ridiculous?" he asked in a whisper.

"Not at all", Aoba rushed to answer. "It's your personal style, and I like it."

This time a real smile raised the corners of Noiz' mouth. He had the sudden urge of coming closer and kissing Aoba again, and he only refrained because that group of teenagers were still there, watching them, and he was sure Aoba would get flustered and angry if he kissed him in front of them. So instead he said:

"What about you buy some clothes, too?"

"Nah, it's out of my budget this month. But I'm in for an ice-cream when you are done."

"Choose something for you, it will be my pleasure."

"But…?! We were here to buy for you!"

Noiz shrugged it off.

"I'm done with shopping, I'm already tired of trying clothes on. What I want now is to watch _you_ trying something different, and then we go for that ice-cream."

Aoba's cheeks flushed in a nice dark pink, and he growled through gritted teeth.

"You brat! I bet you didn't have any intention of buying new clothes at all, did you?"

Noiz chuckled and closed the curtain on Aoba's face. Perhaps, and only perhaps, he was starting to envision what he was to get out of spending time with Aoba, if that fluttering inside his guts every time Aoba smiled or blushed had any meaning. He could only expect that he wasn't wasting his time, but that only time would tell. At the moment, there was a delicious lemon ice-cream to look forward to, and a couple of hours more sharing the not less delicious company of his friend.


	3. The beach

The summer was slowly drawing near, and as the days grew longer their strolls around the town began to stretch further as well. Their steps led them to the beach that afternoon, and they had the place practically to themselves, because the water was still cold and the warmer hours of the day had already passed. Noiz and Aoba took their boots and socks out and rolled up their trousers, so they could at least enjoy the water on their feet. It was curious, how even through his dulled tactility Noiz felt the underwater sand playing between his toes, and he wondered, not for the first time, how it would be to feel it like everybody else. By his side, Aoba giggled, with his boots and warmers on his hand (and his light yellow socks sticking out his jeans' pocket), and commented on how the sand was tickling on his feet. Noiz smiled, trying to imagine the sensation, and eased his slightly listless mood splashing some water towards Aoba. The young man shrieked when the cold water landed on him, and wasted no time in paying him back. In a minute the two of them were sodden, but they were also laughing like crazy. They stopped in a while and came closer to the shore; the sun was low now and it would be advisable to get dry before it set, or they would freeze on their way back home. So Aoba and Noiz kept walking by the sand, in a comfortable silence, while the few people around them started to scatter. Noiz licked his lips to taste the salty water and let his right hand brush occasionally against Aoba's left one, enjoying the fact that Aoba didn't move over to avoid it, although neither of them commented on it.

Suddenly, Aoba stopped in his tracks. Noiz threw him a questioning look, but Aoba seemed to be in deep thought, studying his surroundings as if he was searching for something.

"What's wrong?" Noiz asked at last.

"I think this is the place", Aoba muttered softly. "There was a church over there, and a dirt road that led there from the beach, half covered in high bushes. Perhaps the road is still there."

Noiz couldn't follow his thoughts, but he offered:

"Let's check if it's still there, if you want."

Aoba shook his head and looked away from that direction, his eyes fixed now on the ocean.

"No… No need for it. I haven't got any memories of that place anyway. My first memory is about this beach, and that's when I was already six."

Noiz caught up at last. He looked around at the beach with new eyes.

"Really? Right here? And what's that memory about?"

Aoba turned to look at Noiz, wearing a tiny smile that didn't mask how sad he looked.

"This is where I used to come when I was feeling sad, and where my father found me."

He walked a few meters into the beach, to where the waves didn't reach, and sat down facing the ocean. Without a word, Noiz sat by his side, waiting for his words.

"He was a traveller, my father", Aoba continued. "Not because of his job, but because of his character. But when he found me here, we connected at once. He adopted me that same day. During a couple of years, I was the happiest of children, with him and mom and granny around. I had found a home, and I thought everything was going to be alright from then on."

"And what happened?"

Aoba wrapped his arms around himself.

"Mom and he started to travel again; it was in their nature, as I said. Soon the travels became longer than the time they spent in Midorijima, and a time came when dad announced they weren't going to come back in a long while. Since then, our only communication has been a postcard now and then. It's been a couple of years since the last one arrived, in fact."

Noiz didn't know what to say. He couldn't remember if he had ever comforted someone, not even his little brother when they were very young, so he was at a loss. He struggled for some minutes, trying to find something to say, something that would lighten the weight over Aoba's shoulders, that grey cape that he seemed to be wearing right then, shrouding him. It was Aoba who spoke first, though.

"What about your parents, Noiz?" he asked in a tiny voice. "All you have told me is that you arrived to the island one year ago, when you were eighteen, and on your own. Are they in Germany?"

Noiz nodded, cautiously. He never talked about his parents. He simply hated it. But after what Aoba had shared with him, it would be selfish not to share at least a bit of his past with Aoba. He gulped and watched the waves, white foam turning slowly into grey as the sky grew darker.

"I basically escaped from them and came here", he whispered. He didn't turn to check on Aoba's reaction; if he did, he didn't thought he would be able to keep on talking. "I was locked in my room for almost ten years. They didn't allow me to go to school, and hired private tutors instead. I couldn't go to play outside either, and I barely could speak to my brother."

"How come? Why would they do that?"

Aoba's voice was full of sorrow, as Noiz feared. What he feared still more, though, was the explanation. There were certain things he wasn't sure if he was able to talk about. Not with Aoba, especially.

"They were… worried, because I always got into fights and hurt myself. When I was very young, they were always too busy at work, so getting hurt was the better way I could find to obtain their attention."

Aoba remained silent for a moment, digesting his words. Then he commented:

"That's… horrible. I don't know what would I do if I had a son and he behaved like that, but shutting you down? I think I would talk to you first, try to understand your reasons and make you change your behaviour… Perhaps looking for professional advice?"

"They did that, we went to visit a psychiatrist for a while, but it didn't work. I… I wasn't good at communicating with them."

He fought to stay focused on the waves, clenching his fists around his knees. He didn't want to say more. Because, if he did, Aoba was going to react like his parents; not locking him up in a room and throwing the key away, of course, but shutting him down in a metaphorical way. If Aoba would find out he was a monster, unable to physically feel, unable to share other people's emotions, he would vanish from his life in a snap, and Noiz didn't want to think about what life without Aoba by his side could be, either. For the first time in years, perhaps since his first years locked in his room in Germany, Noiz was afraid. He didn't know how Aoba had slipped into his life like that, slowly, imperceptibly but stubbornly making himself a place in the vast greyness that was Noiz' life before Aoba. In his mind, around Aoba there was a glow of colour, a twirl of blues and whites and pinks that warmed a bit his bleak moor of a life, and he couldn't stand the thought of losing it.

"You were just a child, Noiz. It wasn't your fault."

Aoba's words seemed to arrive from afar, so lost was Noiz in his thoughts, and he was shocked at noticing a hand on his shoulder. And when he turned to look at him, Aoba was right there, very close to him, and gazing at him with a look full of intent and none of the pity or the contempt he was expecting. Without thinking, Noiz came closer until their lips met, finding Aoba's half way already, waiting for him. And although he had previously stolen a couple of kisses from Aoba, that had nothing to do. This time it wasn't a light brush of their lips, but a full-on kiss, with lips opening greedily to find each other's tongue and a slight fight over who was exploring the other's mouth and who should wait his turn. Aoba hummed when he felt Noiz' tongue piercing stroking his palate and seemed to melt when Noiz ran his hands through his long hair, caressing his scalp.

When they parted to regain their breath, Aoba casted his eyes downwards and blushed lightly, but a smile was gracing his gentle features, so Noiz felt at least reassured that he wasn't wasting his time with Aoba. He wasn't sure if the knot he usually felt in his stomach when he was around Aoba was feeling looser or tighter, but he could swear that his heart was going to explode if it kept pumping so madly. He breathed deeply in order to slow it down, and then Aoba and he shared a stare and the young man looked as shocked as him. It was so ridiculous to see their state reflected in each other that they both burst into laughter at the same time.

Noiz stood up and reached for Aoba's hand to pull him up. They started to walk again, back home now, hand in hand, and Noiz tried to engrave every detail of their surroundings to his memory: the pink and peach sunset sky over them, the murmur of the waves on their ears and the salty smelt of the ocean. It would be the second memory Aoba would have of that piece of beach, and somehow Noiz hoped that, in years to come, that memory of their first true kiss would grow to be as cherished as his father's memory to Aoba.


	4. Starting at level 0

They had met a month before Aoba's birthday. Noiz' shop was at spitting distance of Aoba's work, and he kept passing in front of the colourful storefront in his way to and from his own shop. He wasn't much into videogames, but the bright drawings of the cases were calling him; so one day he decided to use his lunch break to go and take a look. It was a rather small shop, and at that hour only a couple of nerd-looking teens were shuffling through the racks. Aoba stopped at the door, once inside, hesitant and rather lost. He let his gaze wander around, and after a long pause he approached the shelves that contained coil games. He took a case out of a rack; the cover showed a sniper targeting two soldiers in a tank, the three of them featuring a dangerous and tough look.

"Tsstch. That's not for you."

The videogame case almost fell from his hands. Startled, Aoba turned to face the voice at his back. A boy in his late teens was looking at him with a crooked smirk on his face, featuring more metal pieces on his face than any other person Aoba had seen before. He was wearing a strange outfit, all in neon green, black and white, that somehow seemed too short for the guy, unless it was designed that way (Aoba couldn't decide if that was the case). And, the most important issue here, Aoba wasn't sure if the guy worked at the shop or if he was just a curious passer-by as himself.

"Why?" he asked all the same.

The boy took the videogame from Aoba's hands and studied the cover.

"This rack you are glancing at only has shooters. And that's not the kind of game you would enjoy."

His voice sounded monotonous, almost as if his owner was bored and about to yawn, and Aoba felt a bit offended. What did that brat know about his tastes? What if he wanted to spend his evenings shooting at every cartoon-like character he could get in his coil? That was no one else's business.

"Oh, wouldn't I?"

"I highly doubt it."

The brat with the piercings and the strange sense of fashion stared at him without smiling, a solemn air surrounding him like an aura, and the retort Aoba had at the tip of his tongue faded away. He bit his lower lip, uneasy.

"So… then, any suggestions?"

The boy seemed to come out from his reverie and straightened up, taking a more professional manner, and Aoba's doubt about if he was working there or not finally cleared up.

"Right, come over here…" The boy walked to the next aisle and took a videogame from another rack. He offered it to Aoba with a tiny smile. "This is the game for you."

Aoba reached for it and studied the cover, where a number of cute animals and children stood on a little and green world.

"Animal Crossing?" he asked, voice full of disbelief. "Isn't it too childish?"

The boy shrugged.

"It suits you."

"Oi! What are you implying?!"

But the boy turned away and walked to the other side of the counter.

"Just try it. If you don't like it, then bring it back and you can change it for another game."

That seemed fair. So Aoba glanced again at the game cover, sighed, and opened his coil app to pay for the game.

He came back to the shop some days later. The boy with the piercings was playing to something on his coil, sitting behind the counter, but he raised his face to look at him the moment he heard the door. At seeing Aoba, he frowned.

"Oh. I was wrong, after all", he muttered.

Aoba chuckled and shook his head, approaching the counter.

"No, you were right, I'm enjoying Animal Crossing."

"Ah!" A smug grin spread by the boy's features, making his green eyes shine. "I hardly ever fail."

"How do you do that?" Aoba was really curious; of course every shop assistant learned in the end the sort of customers they got and more or less what kind of items they were looking for. But videogames? Did he have written on his face that he loved to listen to cute creatures explaining him their endless problems and asking him to do all sort of stuff?

The boy just shrugged, still smiling at him.

"I suppose it's one of my abundant hidden talents."

Aoba smiled back, amused. The nerve of that boy! Giving him a better look, Aoba wondered where was he from, because he had a strong accent, rather exotic, and those green eyes didn't look as contact lenses…

"I wonder…"

"…What my other hidden talents are?" the boy interrupted.

Aoba blinked. _Is he flirting at me?_ , he thought. _No, that can't be it._

"I was going to say, if you could guess what kind of game I want now."

The boy turned serious and looked around, thoughtful.

"…You want a game for your computer or console. Computer, I think."

"Right! How did you know?"

"You will be playing Animal Crossing on your coil for a while, so you couldn't be searching for another coil game. Animal Crossing is pretty addictive."

"Alright… In fact, I didn't mind if the games were for my console, I have a…"

"Superconsole XD."

Aoba opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find the words.

"Do I fall under a usual category of customers who always have a Superconsole XD, or something?" he asked at last.

The boy laughed in earnest.

"What? No! The first day you came in you gave a quick look to the Superconsole XD games before going for the coil games, that's all!"

Aoba felt rather stupid; one didn't need to be Sherlock Holmes to notice that.

"Hehe, you should see your face right now. Do you always get embarrassed so easily?"

Aoba made an effort to at least smile back.

"It's… one of my own hidden talents, I guess", he retorted.

That made the boy smirk again.

"Ha! And what was that about categories of customers that you were talking about?"

"Oh, that was…" Aoba shrugged, unable to explain. "Something I made out in the shop I work. It's just around the corner, the junk shop".

"Really? Perhaps I'll pay you a visit one of these days."

"Please do it. And now, if you have any game recommendations for me…"

Ten minutes later, Aoba went out the shop with a new Steam account and a long, long list of games suggestions to download. The boy, who answered to the strange name of "Noiz", was a bit overenthusiastic when he started to talk about videogames, and it seemed he didn't mind losing some business in exchange of finding someone who wouldn't mind to listen to his ramblings without complaining… as Aoba found out the next day, when Noiz appeared in his shop. And the next day, too. And the next.


	5. Nights out, nights in

In the end it didn't take much time for Aoba to find out about Noiz' lack of tactility. He started to feel frustrated when, after sharing some kisses, his own breath got laboured yet Noiz still looked as cool as a cucumber. After a bit of inquiring and a bit of guessing, he found out the truth. And, although he didn't reacted as Noiz feared (pitying him or, still worse, leaving him for good), Aoba's reaction had been annoying as well. He insisted on working on Noiz' sensitivity before going further in their relationship. What, in fact, meant that their time alone was reduced to the minimum. Noiz didn't know what purpose that would serve, except that now the two of them felt frustrated instead of that being just Aoba.

So Noiz resigned himself to spend his evenings with that bunch of weirdos, who, besides, were now informed about his issue, and went on practising on him every stupid remedy that could be found online. It was so ridiculous that Noiz would have laugh if he wasn't the focus of all the hassle.

Noiz walked towards Aoba's house feeling slightly depressed. Three weeks have passed since they shared their first kiss in the beach, and still they didn't have gone much further than a bit of groping at the end of the evening. And although he really enjoyed all the time he spent around Aoba, he would like very much to do normal things with him, like going to the cinema, or drinking in a bar, the two of them alone. Instead…

He went mentally through their last "dates": Saturday had been drinking at Mizuki's bar; all well and good, except because the bar was crowded and he had actually spent more time talking with Clear that with Aoba. Sunday: watching a soccer match at Koujaku's place. They had lots of fun, considering none of them enjoyed soccer that much, and half of the time they didn't understand the rules. Who had come up with that plan anyway? Monday: Aoba and he had gone to the mall, they wandered a bit and had dinner at a nice sushi shop. Alone. Well, alone except for the rest of customers of the mall, of course. Tuesday: they were supposed to watch a film at Clear's place, but Mizuki, Koujaku, Aoba and him got lost and never found the house of the gasmask weirdo. What they found, though, was a dump with tons of interesting items laying there, abandoned and asking to be picked up… So Mizuki and he spent the rest of the evening shooting cans with an airsoft gun they had found there, and Koujaku and Aoba pretended to be offended at first, but in the end they joined, of course. And Wednesday was today. The plan was simple, playing videogames at Aoba's (although _Five nights at Freddy's_ had been banned from the list, sadly).

Another little issue he had at the moment was that, although Aoba's friends knew of his problem, they weren't informed about the change of relationship status between Aoba and him. His boyfriend was simply too embarrassed about it, and had asked Noiz to wait until "they figure it out by themselves". That meant no kissing, no hand holding, no touching at all while their friends were there. Noiz huffed, annoyed, ringing the doorbell. Perhaps Aoba thought that, given his lack of sensitivity, he wouldn't miss touching his boyfriend. _Bollocks_ , he grunted to himself, as Aoba's granny let him in.

"Noiiiiiiiiz-saaaaaaan!"

Clear charged at him and they almost fell down together when the gasmask weirdo jumped to hug him. He was going to complain and try to break away from Clear's embrace, but a light chuckle at the other side of the room distracted him. Aoba.

His boyfriend was sitting down on top of his bed, with his legs crossed like an Indian, and he was waving at him with a smile. Noiz' mood lightened up at seeing him; somehow everything seemed better when Aoba was near. A hum by the balcony spoiled the feeling a bit, though: that damned Koujaku always arrived the first. The guy was smoking with his elbows cranked on the railing and smirking at Clear and him.

"He! You always have to make a triumphal entry, don't you?" Koujaku had the gall to comment.

Noiz gritted his teeth and said nothing. The day he was allowed to brag about Aoba on Koujaku's face couldn't arrive soon enough. His only comfort was knowing that that day would indeed arrive, and he would be able to take Aoba by his waist and even kiss him in front of the damned hairdresser. He could wait.

"What are you playing?" he said instead, seeing that Aoba and his friends were already playing to some game on his computer.

"Little inferno", Aoba answered.

"Ah, good! Is Sugar Plumps still, you know, doing well?"

Aoba's smile fell.

"What?! What happens to Sugar Plumps?"

"Nothing! I swear! Nothing at all!"

Aoba stood up and flicked his forehead.

"No spoilers! This is your last warning!"

Noiz laughed. Clear sat by his said and seemed to stare at him in deep thought.

"I like your laugh, Noiz-san. You don't laugh much, though. Can I help you with that?"

Noiz almost jumped from the bed. Except that there wasn't any space to jump to, except Aoba's lap, and Aoba wouldn't like that with Koujaku and Clear right there. Stressed, he answered:

"Hmmmm… How about no?"

Ignoring him, Clear started to tickle him on both his sides. Noiz only felt it on a lower level, and it was more annoying than anything else.

"Do you feel it, Noiz?" Aoba asked, gentle.

"Not much".

"Perhaps I should help, too, then!"

And he started to tickle him at the same time. And Noiz had to admit, there _was_ a little something, a little sensation, although perhaps it was only Aoba's proximity what he was feeling; that always made his stomach flutter. He wanted to embrace him so badly.

"Ah, stop, you two! This is just annoying, sorry!"

"No tickles?" Clear asked, clearly disappointed.

Noiz shook his head.

"I know what could work", Koujaku said from the balcony. Noiz closed his eyes, defeated. "A massage. Even if you don't feel it at a top level, it will be pleasant anyway."

"Oh, that's true!" Aoba exclaimed, excited. "A great idea! Noiz, Koujaku gives the best massages in the world!"

Koujaku turned to look at Aoba, startled.

"What? Me? I hope you are not implying that I should…"

"Of course, please!" Aoba pleaded. At the older guy reluctance, Aoba feigned a pout. "You used to give me super nice massages. It's more or less the same, don't you think? There can't be much difference between giving them to me and giving them to Noiz…"

 _Oh, Aoba, if I could tell you…_ , Noiz thought, hiding a smirk. _I wouldn't even know where to start._

Koujaku grunted and protested a bit more, but of course he always ended doing whatever Aoba asked from him. So they made Noiz lay down on Aoba's bed, face down, and Koujaku straddled his sides, frowning deeply.

"Only for your information, brat: lots of women would pay a fortune for a massage by me! You have no idea of how lucky you are."

"Whatever", Noiz answered, annoyed.

By his side, Aoba giggled and turned to continue his game. Clear helped him from time to time, wandering by the room and finally setting in front of the huge puzzle he had given Aoba for his birthday: it was now more or less half finished. He found easily a couple of matching pieces and placed them. As far as Noiz knew, that night Mizuki was at work and Mink was out of the island, so he finally accepted the turn of events of the evening and tried to relax.

To his surprise, Koujaku was really good at that, and his magic hands seemed to heal every little tightness in Noiz' back, neck and ribs, and although the boy couldn't feel all the sensations that he was sure should be elicited from him, what he could actually feel was amazing. His flesh felt warm and elastic, his muscles relaxed and a growing sensation of simple pleasure started to spread through his whole body. When he felt a hand touching his, he realised he had closed his eyes without noticing. Aoba had taken his hand and was featuring one of his sweetest smiles. Noiz closed his eyes again, starting to feel it a bit overwhelmed, but squeezed Aoba's hand in what he hoped was as reassuring way.

"I told you it would work if you did it, Koujaku", he heard Aoba say above him. The hairdresser just grunted in answer, but he didn't stop his ministrations. "It's the first time I see him so relaxed."

When Koujaku finally stopped, Noiz had almost fallen asleep. He opened his eyes and Aoba ruffled his hair, laughing. Koujaku turned his back to him, going out the balcony for a smoke. Clear sat again by his side, and when Noiz sat up at last, shaking out the last remnants of sleep, the gasmask guy said, low enough so only Noiz could hear him:

"I see it worked. Congratulations. And also, congratulations for your new relationship."

Noiz opened his mouth in surprise. He studied Aoba's profile; he was focused on finding the elements of a combo, so he hadn't heard anything.

"You know?" he asked Clear in a low whisper. "Has he told you?"

"No, I just have seen how Master and you look at each other."

There was a barely there sadness in Clear's voice, and Noiz felt suddenly a bit bad for him.

"I'm sorry, I know you also like him."

"But I'm glad he is with someone who makes him happy. Master's eyes light up every time you enter the room, Noiz-san."

Noiz was at a loss for words. He didn't have noticed. And was it so evident, that Aoba and he were together? Then, could they finally act like a couple? He smiled at Clear, relieved and feeling a sudden fondness for him, and also for Mizuki, and even for Mink and Koujaku.

"Thank you very much", he said, with a light bow.


	6. An evening at the Black Needle

The Black Needle was an interesting place. It was supposed to be a tattoo parlour, and that was the function it had during most of the day time. But in the evenings the customers tended to head to the small bar counter on the right of the shop, so Mizuki and his shop partner doubled as bartenders, and come eight in the evening the tattoo parlour part of the business was definitely closed, as none of the tattooists were able to hold an ink needle with a steady hand past that hour.

When Noiz popped by that Friday evening, Mizuki was tending the bar counter, and judging by how high he was laughing and the flush of his cheeks, he had already drunk almost as much as his customers. Noiz smiled and looked for the rest of his friends, as there was no sign of a mop of blue hair. Clearly, he had come too early, because only Koujaku was already there. Sighing, Noiz approached the counter and leaned beside the hairdresser.

"Hey", he greeted him.

Koujaku turned to look at him, frowning slightly, as every single time they met.

"Brat. Are you coming alone?"

"Yes. I guess the others won't take long."

He waved at Mizuki, who came to high five him as soon as he was free.

"Noiz, mate! Good to see you! Aoba isn't coming with you?"

"No, he told me to meet here. He will come after having dinner with his granny."

"Ah, right! And… how are things going with him?"

Mizuki winked at him, but then someone called him from the other side of the counter and he left to attend the customer. Koujaku's frown had grown deeper, and he threw a suspicious look at Noiz.

"What was that about? Why did he ask you that?"

Noiz huffed and passed to the other side of the counter. He opened the fridge and took a beer out.

"Mizuki, I'm having a beer!"

The bartender gave him a thumb up and kept talking with other customers. Noiz opened the bottle and came back to Koujaku's side. Just looking at his face made him feel uncomfortable. So much for Aoba's great plan of waiting until everybody figured their relation out. Someone was obviously being obtuse on purpose.

"I told you you were losing the competition, mate", he said at last.

"What does that mean?" Koujaku's voice was guarded.

"It means… what you think it means. Don't make me spell it for you."

And for once in his life Noiz avoided Koujaku's eyes, uncomfortable. Koujaku's voice thundered by his side.

"Mizuki! Come here right now!" The bartender walked closer, grinning. "Did you know… did you know that Aoba and the brat were together?"

Mizuki's smile faltered and he composed a grave face.

"Yes, I know, like everyone else. I'm sorry, mate, but you know how things are in love matters: sometimes you win, sometimes you lose."

"You… also knew that?"

Mizuki bit his lower lip in order to suppress a grin.

"Of course, I'm not blind! I don't think there's still a living person who didn't know how infatuated you are about Aoba… Well, except perhaps Aoba himself. Sorry again, mate."

He patted Koujaku on the shoulder and turned to attend the bar again. The hairdresser looked so miserable that Noiz pitied him.

"I had a suspicion about you two, but I thought… Aoba has always been so oblivious around me… that perhaps it would be like that with everybody."

"Perhaps you should have had the guts to confess or something. You had _years_ before I appeared."

Koujaku covered his face with his hands.

"Oh, god. And besides, everybody knows! This is so embarrassing. What I am going to do now?"

Noiz sighed and walked around the counter again. He took a whisky bottle from the shelves and a couple of low glasses. He waved Mizuki to show him, and the tattooist nodded.

"You are going to do the same you have been doing until now", Noiz stated, opening the bottle and pouring two whisky shots. "You work as a hairdresser, you flirt with every girl at your sight, you go out with Clear, Mink, Mizuki, Aoba and me, and Aoba keeps being your bestie. Doesn't sound bad to me. Now drink!"

They drank their shots in a single gulp, finishing with a loud " _Aaaah!_ " and wiping their mouths. Mizuki hurried to meet them with an empty glass in his hand.

"Oh, you have started without me! Pour again, Noiz. In fact, I know a drinking game that could come handy…"

In fact, as Noiz and Koujaku were already aware of, Mizuki knew a wide selection of drinking games. Clear and Mink appeared a while later and joined, and by the time Aoba finally arrived, an hour later, he found a very drank Koujaku hugging a not less inebriated Noiz and assuring Aoba that Noiz was from then on his best friend forever, after Aoba, of course. Puzzled, he looked at his boyfriend in search of an explanation, but the boy seemed only able to giggle. He had the slight annoying feeling of being the only one out of a conspiracy, but given that everybody seemed to be having a good time, and for once Noiz and Koujaku weren't throwing daggers at each other, who was him to spoil the mood?

He took an empty glass, poured himself a whisky shot, and let Clear give him a bear hug.


	7. Fulfillments

The Black Needle usually closed its doors at two a.m. in the morning, but for Noiz' birthday they let the party go on until three. Mizuki's friends helped him to leave everything in order… more or less, because they actually spent more time sipping from their "last beer of the night, I promise" than cleaning up. When the shop was about as tidy as it could be, Mizuki closed the blinds at last and turned the alarm on. He turned to look at his friends with a satisfied and slightly drunk grin and stretched his arms lazily.

"Weeeeell… I know of a place that is usually open until five a.m… What do you say, mates, are you in?"

Koujaku and Clear nodded eagerly, smiling as well, Mink said nothing, as always, and Noiz just shrugged (which, for him, served the same purpose as nodding), but Aoba raised his hand and exclaimed loudly:

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have my boyfriend walk me home!"

Koujaku squinted at him.

"Are you already that plastered, Aoba?" he asked. "Jeez, you have no alcohol resistance at all!"

"What a killjoy, Aoba!" Mizuki frowned. "I wanted to show Noiz that place, I'm sure he would like it!"

"Don't worry, I'll take Aoba home and then I'll send you a coil message to ask you the address, alright?" Noiz answered with a wink.

He put a hand on Aoba's waist and pushed him onwards slightly to avoid the endless discussion that they always had when it was time to go. They waved goodbye and parted ways.

Actually, Aoba hadn't seemed so drunk a while ago, the last time Noiz had checked on him… But with Aoba's built, one could never be sure. It wouldn't be the first time his boyfriend fell asleep at the Black Needle and had ended the night on a couch at the back shop. Noiz didn't want to turn in so early on his birthday night, so he tried to make Aoba walk as fast as he could in his condition. They arrived in front of his house after a ten minutes walk, and Noiz leaned in for a kiss. Eager as he was to keep partying on with his friends, he surely could spend ten minutes more enjoying a bit of time alone with Aoba. To his surprise, his boyfriend withdrew after only a short kiss.

"Noiz…" he whispered, eliciting goose bumps on Noiz' back. "Come in and stay the night."

The boy looked at Aoba with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you only asking it because you are drunk?"

Noiz looked his boyfriend over, suspicious, and, as he had thought before, apart from a deep blush Aoba didn't look inebriated. He wasn't slurring his words, and his eyes didn't have that glassy glint they always had when Aoba had drunk a tad too much. Was it planned all the way, then? Aoba simple answer was grinning and pulling him inside the house.

They walked in silence, hand in hand, especially when they climbed the old and creaky stairs, because Aoba's granny was a light sleeper. They didn't say a word until they crossed the long corridor and entered the young man's bedroom, closing the door after them. Aoba turned to look at Noiz, resting his back on said door and featuring a naughty grin. Noiz wasn't one to deny anything to Aoba, much less when he was in that mood, and came to rest his hands at both sides of his boyfriend's head, leaning in again and trapping his upper lip between his. He trailed his lower one with the tip of his tongue, enjoying Aoba's reaction, always so sensitive.

And that was exactly why Noiz was hesitant about that night. In the nearly a month they had been going out as more than friends, they hadn't gone further than kisses and a bit of groping. When they arrived to that point, Aoba usually got annoyed in face of his seemingly lack of response. And Noiz felt frustrated as well, seeing that he couldn't do anything at all about his poor sensitivity at touch or his inexpressive features. So, although he was glad Aoba was finally tired of waiting any more, he was rather afraid of the outcome. He couldn't bear it if it turned out to be a disaster and Aoba got angry at him.

As if he was reading his thoughts, Aoba embraced him and whispered in his ear:

"Relax… It will be fine. Whatever it happens, it will be fine. I just want to be with you."

"And I want to be with you, too", Noiz answered, nuzzling Aoba's cheek. "Can you promise you won't be angry if it doesn't turn out as you expect?"

"It's your birthday, of course I won't get angry at you! If it doesn't work, we can just sleep together. Would you like that?"

Noiz thought about waking up in the morning with Aoba's sleeping face by his side on the pillow, and smiled. He kissed his boyfriend again instead of answering.

"Right! Come on, sit on the bed, please. Move over, rest your back on the headboard."

Noiz obliged, chuckling. It wasn't everyday that Aoba acted this bossy, and he found it quite endearing, if he had to be honest. He sat against the headboard, flexing his legs, and Aoba came closer, looking serious and focused, and sat straddling him. Noiz threw a quick look to the corner where Ren was lying, asleep.

"Are you sure Ren is in sleeping mode, right?" he asked, nervous.

The last drop to their awfully awkward sex life would be Aoba's allmate waking up and starting to talk in the middle of it. Aoba giggled and pulled his own t-shirt up and off, throwing the garment to the other side of the room. Presented with such a view just few inches away, Noiz decided that all his doubts could be damned. He ran the tips of his fingers along Aoba's ribs and sides, watching him closely. Was Aoba feeling uncomfortable? Ticklish? Nervous? To Noiz surprise, his boyfriend's smile only turned smugger, as if he was happy with his response so far. He placed his hands over Noiz' slightly wider ones and guided them to caress his whole torso.

"Can you feel it? Can you feel me, Noiz?"

The boy nodded, following with his eyes the trail his hands were tracing over Aoba's skin. He was aware his hands were rough, marked with endless little scars and calluses, but the other guy didn't mind, allowing his hands to press and pinch lightly and then rub over the spot and then add barely there touches. And Noiz couldn't compare what he was feeling with what other people felt, of course, but he was, at last, touching the person he had wanted the most ever, and being able to feel his warmth, his closeness, his breath on his forehead, was almost too much for his senses. And what his touch couldn't reach, his sight and his taste could provide, and soon it was his tongue who talked to him about how soft and sweet was Aoba's skin.

The young man moaned softly at the light nips on his neck, but he composed himself and smiled again, reaching for Noiz' shirt buttons.

"It's unfair you are still wearing all your clothes…"

"I'm sure that can be helped", said Noiz with a tiny crooked grin.

Aoba unbuttoned him slowly, kissing his lips at the same time, and then lowering himself to kiss the newly exposed skin. Noiz let him do so, although he didn't feel anything with that, and although he knew Aoba knew. He ran his hands through Aoba's hair, instead, focusing on it, on how lovely he looked, and on being gentle because Aoba's hair was very sensitive. When his shirt and his trousers were open, Aoba rubbed his chests together, and that was surprisingly good. Especially the face Aoba made when his nipple piercings rubbed his own nipples. And having his boyfriend's scent all around, that was priceless. But when Aoba moved forward and his groin brushed Noiz' one, a slight frown appeared on his face. As the two of them expected, Noiz wasn't hard yet. The boy tried to distract Aoba stealing his lips and kissing him deeply, letting his tongue explore every nook in Aoba's mouth, caressing his gums and brushing his soft palate with his tongue piercing. He prayed that would do the do. Resolved, Aoba hummed in his mouth and kept rutting against him, rolling his clothed hips until he found, at last, that there was actually something against he could rub himself. Aoba leaned back to look at his boyfriend with a winner grin on his face, and Noiz chuckled in response.

"Do you mind if we turn tables?" he asked.

"Oh, don't you want me on top?" Aoba said with a feigned pout.

Noiz couldn't help to come closer, smiling, and kiss him.

"It will work better, trust me."

So Aoba lay down, stretching his arms above his head, grinning like a naughty kid at his boyfriend, who was devouring him with his eyes. Noiz straddled his waist and nibbled his neck, what Aoba seemed to enjoy, judging by the sounds he made. Then he kept going southwards, licking towards his clavicle and the soft hollow spot at the base of his neck. Noiz took his time watching Aoba and his reactions to his touches; he hadn't exactly explained to him that visuals and taste actually worked for him better than his disabled sense of touch, but Aoba should had guessed on his own, because the usually shy young man was showing himself off without his normal sense of modesty. At one moment, when Noiz was lapping at one of his nipples while rubbing the other one with the tip of a finger, Aoba moaned loudly and had a moment of embarrassment, covering his mouth with a hand and avoiding Noiz' eyes in shame. Noiz grabbed the hand on his mouth and kissed it on the back.

"Please, don't. I want to hear you."

"But it's so embarrassing! I don't want you to think…"

Noiz cut him with a chuckle.

"What? That you are hot? Too late for that, I think that since the first time I laid my eyes on you."

Aoba's awkward look didn't vanish, but he didn't cover his mouth again. And, in a short while, as Noiz kept licking him downwards, dipping his tongue on Aoba's navel and biting his hipbones, he finally lost his reserves and let himself go, gripping Noiz' shoulders hard and closing his eyes to enjoy the pleasure. Noiz smiled at seeing him enjoying himself and checked on his own erection: it was doing fine, firm, hard and growing bigger by the moment. _From now on everything should go well_ , he thought with relief. If there was something he wanted badly was to pleasure Aoba. He couldn't stand to see that disappointed look on his face, not ever again.

He removed his clothes completely, feeling his sweat starting to run freely down his back, and then he unfastened Aoba's belt. The young man twitched under him, looking sidewards, and Noiz stopped at once, frowning. Was Aoba still unsure?

"Can I?" he asked, with a hand on Aoba's zip.

The boy nodded, and Noiz took his chin and turned his head in order to be able to look at him.

"Aoba, open your eyes…"

He obeyed, his eyes a dashing shade of green under that light. Noiz had always found his boyfriend's eyes stunning, and he had to suppress a whimper at seeing them showing that amount of emotion. Noiz could read tons of things right then on those eyes, all the words Aoba wouldn't say, and although there were fear and uncertainty among them, there were also feelings that made Noiz feel overwhelmed all of a sudden. He leaned down and embraced Aoba tightly, wanting to correspond to those emotions. He had never been very good at wording his feelings, and so far Aoba seemed to avoid talking about them as well, but he hoped his actions would tell Aoba how deep he cared for him.

"Sssshhh… It's okay", Aoba whispered, with a tiny smile. "Go on."

Noiz didn't need to be told twice. He made quick work of Aoba's jeans and underwear, and stroked the nice and rosy hard-on in front of him, grinning. Aoba was watching him, blushing furiously, but moved his eyes away as soon as he caught Noiz glancing at him. _So cute_ , Noiz thought, laughing a little before leaning over and giving a light peck at the dark tip. Aoba gasped, and his grip on Noiz' shoulder turned tighter when his boyfriend grabbed his legs, opened them and started to lick trails and nip on the sensitive skin of his inner thighs, up from his knees to his full testicles and still further up, catching at last the tip of his erection between his lips and caressing the slit with his pierced tongue. The sound Aoba let go at that was worth to be added to a catalogue of the oddest sounds produced by the human throat, but it also was so hot that Noiz felt it go directly to his own groin. He started working the whole cock with his mouth, engulfing it down to the base, and rubbing along it with his tongue, being careful that his piercing didn't get caught in the skin.

"Ooooooh, Noiiiiiiiz…"

Aoba had thrown his head back in pleasant abandon, and his hands had found Noiz' hair and stayed there for a while, as Noiz tried everything he knew and also some inspiration of the moment. After a few minutes, though, Aoba tapped on his hair all of a sudden.

"Ah… Stop, Noiz, or I'm going to come…"

"…S'okay…" Noiz mumbled without letting go.

"Ah, don't speak, that's…!"

Too late, because Aoba was already coming in his mouth, moaning Noiz' name. Satisfied and relieved, the boy kept working him until the last drop was out, and Aoba writhed to release his member. Noiz let him go at last and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Under him, Aoba looked completely wasted, with his eyes tightly shut and still trying to regain his breath, and Noiz had imagined him so many times that last month looking exactly like that, that he couldn't help to watch him with a wide grin. Aoba opened an eye, covering the other one with his forearm.

"Stop that smug grin, you silly brat… Wait until I finish with you and let's compare who looks worse then."

"I'm not saying you look bad…" Noiz answered. "Quite the opposite, in fact."

Aoba turned his face to hide it on the pillow and Noiz laughed in earnest. When Aoba released the pillow he looked more composed, although still red as a ladybug.

"Okay, let me do it for you now…" he said, sitting up and reaching for Noiz' dick.

He found it still hard, for what the two of them were grateful. Noiz knew that Aoba wouldn't feel really fine about their intimate life until he had made Noiz come as well, and right then that he had achieved that with Aoba, he understood him fully. He put his hand over his boyfriend's one and guided him, adding more pressure on the piercings.

"I can't believe you have piercings down there, too", Aoba mumbled, shyly. "Isn't it painful?"

"Not for me. Why? Wanna try having one done?" Noiz asked, teasing Aoba.

"No! No way in hell!"

"Wanna try to feel them?"

Noiz' tone lowered another octave when he said so, eliciting a visible shudder on Aoba. The two of them watched, raptly, as the pierced dick grew still harder, heavier, on Aoba's hand. Aoba licked his lips, unable to take his eyes off of the member, and he finally nodded. Noiz chuckled and stroked Aoba's cheek with a finger, going down his chin and turning it towards him. Aoba glanced at him, his pupils dilated, and reached down for that finger on his face and licked it. Noiz kissed him, greedy, and he didn't mind at all if his kisses weren't elegant or skilful anymore; he was too turned on to care. At those moments, his thoughts were invaded by short messages like " _More_ " and " _Aoba_ " and _"Deeper_ " and little more.

So he barely waited until Aoba took a tube of lubricant from a drawer to start opening him with his fingers, too wrapped up in his lust to think properly. He kept kissing Aoba meanwhile, watching his face searching for signs of discomfort and being rewarded by little sighs and moans. Noiz was lying on top of his boyfriend, forcing his legs wide open, and the thought of having two of his fingers inside of him made Noiz so turned on that it wasn't funny any more. Also, thinking about being the first one inside of that ass… They hadn't talked about their past lovers much, because it made Aoba feel uncomfortable: he had explained Noiz that he was quite a punk when he was a teen, and that he couldn't remember much of that period, but as far as his memory reached, he didn't go further with men of what Noiz and him had already done until an hour ago. And although Noiz said, and thought, that he didn't mind at all, a previously unknown part of himself felt satisfied of being the only one ever to own Aoba that way. The counterpart of that was that he wanted to enter that lovely tight ass right away, but he wasn't sure if Aoba was ready to allow it.

"Aoba?" he asked. "Is it fine if I…?"

The young man looked quite desperate, looking at him with glossy and half lidded eyes, his cock again at full mast.

"I… I don't know. Just do it, okay?"

Noiz nodded.

"Turn away, love. I think that way will be easier."

He leaned back, giving Aoba space to move and turn face down. Noiz positioned between his legs and grabbed Aoba's waist, pulling him until Aoba was kneeling with the upper part of his body resting on his forearms. Noiz waited a moment, enjoying the view, letting his hands trace the contours of Aoba's spine and shoulder blades, going down his sides again until they reached his hipbones and the hollows at the base of his back, right where his bum started to get rounded. Aoba turned his face to look at his boyfriend, with his eyes big and uncertain.

"What… What's going on?"

Noiz smiled fondly at him.

"Nothing. Just staring at you. You are so beautiful."

Noiz could see how Aoba's cheeks tinted again before the young man hid his face.

"Stop saying stupid things. Paintings are beautiful. Girls are beautiful. I am… just me."

"Well, can't I find you beautiful, then?"

"I'm not… Aaaargh, just go on, please, before I change my mind!"

Chuckling, Noiz took the lube and poured some more on his fingers and his cock. He dipped his middle and index fingers inside the puckered hole, again, and then poured a trickle more of the translucent liquid over it. _Better safe than sorry_ , he thought. Then he placed the tip of his erection right there, and pushed slowly, watching as it was swallowed greedily by his boyfriend's body. Aoba whined softly, the sound muffled by the pillow, but he didn't move or said anything to stop Noiz so, a bit nervous, the boy moved it out again until it was almost completely out, and then pushed inside again, watching Aoba's reaction.

"Aah!"

 _Was that a good "aah" or a bad "aah"?_ Noiz wondered, feeling a little lost. He repeated the action, pushing a bit deeper this time. Aoba's only reaction was his laboured breath becoming still more irregular. Noiz decided that was a good sign, and repeated it again, trying to create a rhythm, going deeper each time like waves in a beach, reaching further and further, and making Aoba react louder, until his moans and little sobs were almost squeals.

"Sssssh, Aoba, we will wake up your granny, please!" he pleaded him.

Aoba answered biting the pillow below him, turning his muffled yells into something somewhat frustrating but extremely hot. Noiz wanted really badly to hear him scream at the top of his lungs while he plunged into him, and as he shoved his cock harder he imagined how Aoba would sound right then if he took his pillow off. He was really tempted to take it. Especially when he reached a point when he was fully sheathed and Aoba shuddered, and then his muffled screams turned more desperate. Noiz must have found a hot spot inside his ass, and with a satisfied grin he repeated the movement in the same angle, again and again, until Aoba looked completely gone and Noiz cursed loudly, because he wanted it to last a little more, and besides he wanted to be able to see again the face of his lover while he came. Slowing his pumps, he raised his right hand from Aoba's sweated hip and smacked the delicate rounded mount of flesh in front of him. Aoba gasped, startled, letting go of the pillow, and Noiz repeated the slap with the next shove into Aoba, harder this time. Aoba sucked air at feeling the spank.

"Noiz!"

"Just once more…" Noiz gasped, doing it again.

He then let go of Aoba's hips and turned him over, checking on his face. Aoba looked bewildered, but Noiz thought his body was reacting amazingly, his cock leaking in earnest and twitching in excitement and his blush spreading to his neck.

"What was that for?"

"Sorry, I wanted to do it so badly…" Noiz answered as he hooked Aoba's left leg over his own left shoulder, forcing him to lie down on his side. "Don't tell me you haven't enjoyed it… You almost came".

"But not because of that, you brat! Ouch!"

He was shushed by the force of Noiz' shoves into him, who was plummeting deep again and again at full force now, speeding up. He could feel his orgasm running towards him, and Aoba was again on the brink, clutching the duvet so tight that his knuckles were white.

"Please, don't close your eyes! Look at me, Aoba."

The young man did so, although it seemed to be a hard request at that very moment, and he kept closing them and opening again. At last, Aoba reached for his own erection and started working it hard, following the wild rhythm Noiz was setting with his thrusts, and just seconds away he was coming hard, his come splurting over the bed and his abdomen, painting his rosy skin with white stripes. He let go a rather loud groan, unable to suppress it with a pillow or his hand, and Noiz watched, fascinated, as he arched his back in pleasure. It was quite a sight, and more than Noiz had bargained for, at in the end it was that what pushed him through his limit. He felt a white pleasure flooding him, and he held onto Aoba's leg while he rode it off as if it was a lifeguard. He couldn't remember the last time, or if, he had such a long-lasting orgasm, one that filled his brain with static and left his limbs soft and trembling afterwards. He kissed Aoba's knee and tried his best not to drop himself on top of his boyfriend, rolling to his side.

He needed an eternity to calm his breathing, or so it seemed. By his side, Aoba turned to his side as well, resting his head on his forearm, and smiled fondly at him. Noiz felt almost overwhelmed again, so bright were Aoba's eyes and so full with emotions. He reached to caress his face, putting a strand of blue hair behind his ear.

"Congratulations", Aoba whispered. "We are really a couple now."

"Oh, weren't we before? Dammit, had I known, I wouldn't have needed to put up with your bunch of odd friends."

Aoba laughed and pushed Noiz' hand away from his cheek, feigning offense.

"Shut up, you like them! And you know what I mean, right?"

"Yeah. And what now?"

Aoba leaned in for a kiss and Noiz took the chance to hold him down against his chest. Aoba giggled and made himself comfortable, slithering an arm around his boyfriend's waist.

"I don't know. Just… take care of me?"

"Of course. And same goes for you."

The two of them kissed the smile on the other's face, feeling warm and happy. And suddenly they heard an echo of steps outside, in the corridor, followed by the unmistakeable voice of Aoba's grandma.

"Aoba? Are you alright? What are you doing there?"


End file.
